Plow assembly for beet harvesters



July 31, 1951 H. v. LEA 2,562,674

PLOW ASSEMBLYFOR BEJET HARVESTERS Filed Nov. 2s, 194s s sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR. Jen ry ZJ, Le@

alim/wak July 3l, 1951 H. v. LEA

RLow ASSEMBLY RoR EEET HARVESTERS 3l Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 23, 1946 INVENToR. Jen rg U. .E ea

MLV-10ML H. V. LEA

PLOW ASSEMBLY FOR BEET HARVESTERS July 3l, 1951 3' Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed NOV. 23, 1946 INVENTOR. fenrg D. Les

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Patented July 31., l1951 ITE stares Prem" oFFlcE PLGW ASSEMBLY FOR BERT HARVESTERS i. du Bose dedication November 23, 1946, serial No. 711,865 v claims. (C1. 55-1o8 1 Thisinvention is` directed to an improved plow assembly for beet harvesters, and in particular represents modifications of the plow assembly vshown in U. S. Patent No. 2,377,347, dated VJune 5, 1945.

As shown in the identified patent, the plow assembly comprises plow units leading and trailing relative to the point of ground contact of the spiked, beet pick-up wheel which the harvester includes.

One object of this invention is to provide a plow assembly for beet harvesters, which includes plow units designed to work close to the beets as is desirable, and to disturb the soil about the beets to a depth extending about the tap roots; both whereby the beets are effectively loosened for lifting by the spiked wheel. As in Patent No. 2,377,347, the leading and trailing plow units serve, respectively, to accomplishinitial loosening ahead of the point of ground contact of the wheel, and to further loosen, and lift the beets slightly to the rear of said point, upon said beets being impaled on the wheel.

Another object of this invention is to provide a plow assembly designed to reduce the draft required to advance the same through the ground.

An additional object is to provide novel adjustable mounts for each plow unit whereby the suction angle, running depth, and lateral position, are selectively variable as working conditions may require.

It is also an object to provide a plow assembly, for the purpose described, which includes a transversely spaced pair of leading plow units, and a transversely spaced -pair of trailing plow units; the units being adjusted for the passage of the beets therebetween, the trailing plow units preferably running to a greater depth than the leading plow units.

A further object of the invention is to provide a practical plow assembly, and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed. V

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of-parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the plow assembly as applied to a beet harvester in cooperative relation to the spiked, beet pick-up wheel.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the pair of transversely spaced leading plow units.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the pair of transf versely spaced trailing'plow units.`

2 Fig, 4 is a perspective view, detached, of the upper section of one of the plow standards.

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view, taken through the standard, of one of the plow units.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the plow assembly which embodies the present invention is arranged in connection with a beet harvester having a vertically floating frame including side beams l disposed in transversely spaced relation and carrying a cross shaft 2 on which arelatively large-diameter, spiked, beet pick-up wheel 3 is mounted. The beet pick-up wheel 3 includes a wide faced rim 4 having a'multiplicity of outwardly projecting beet pick-up vspikes 5 fixed thereon. The wheel 3 runs substantially centrally between, and in spaced relation to, the side beams l.

The plow assembly includes, generally, a pair of transversely spaced leading sub-soil plow units E suspended from the side beams I and running some distance ahead of the point of ground contact of the wheel 3.

The assembly alsoV includes a pair of transversely spaced trailing sub-soil plow units, indicated generally at 1, which units run in the ground closely adjacent but to the rear of said point of contact of the wheel -with the ground; said trailing plow units 'l likewise being suspended from corresponding ones of the side beams l.

As the plow units 6 and 1 are each of substantially the same structural arrangement and mounting, a description by reference to one of said units will sufiice for all.

Each of the plow units is constructed and mounted as follows:

A rigid attachment plate 8 is xed on and projects downwardly from the corresponding side beam l, and a flat leg 9 is secured to and depends from such attachment plate 8; the securing means 9a being arranged to permit of selective adjustment of such leg 9 vertically or horizontally.

The lower end portion of the leg 9 is formed as a downwardly and inwardly inclined part Illy of flat, laterally facing configuration which terminates clear of the ground.

Each plow unit includes a at, heavy-duty standard Il adapted to lap the inclined part l0 of the leg 9 on the inside or outside, depending upon the desired spacing of the plow units. The standards Il of the plow units 6 are here shown as engaged with adjacent faces of the inclined partsA I0 of the legs 9, while the standards IlA of the trailing plow units 'l are engaged with 3 the outsides of said inclined parts I0, whereby to provide of slightly greater spacing of the plows.

Each standard Il is connected to the corre sponding inclined part IS by a pair of vertically spaced securing bolts I2, and between the bolt holes the standard is formed, on opposite faces, with a transverse fulcrum rib I3, one of said ribs bearing against the adjacent inclined part I; the fulcrum rib which so bears depending of course on whether the standard is inside or outside the inclined part I6. By providing this fulcrum rib arrangement it will be seen that the bolts I2 can be adjusted so as to throw the lower end of the standard I I laterally inwardly or outwardly. This is for the purpose of nicety of adjustment of the spacing between the plows, as hereinafter described, which are carried on the lower ends of the standards Il.

The lower end portion of each standard II is formed as a removable, staged shank I4, including staged abutments I5 which maintain said shank in proper alinement with the remainder of the standard II; the shank I4 being affixed to the remainder of the standard by cross bolts IE.

At its lower end the shank I4 is aixed to a longitudinal plow share Il' along the outer edge thereof, and with said shank parallel to the longitudinal plane of movement of the implement.

The forward portionwof the shank i4, at its lower end, merges into the plow point I8, and the leading edge of the shank is sharpened to form a cutting edge I9, which cutting edge extends upwardly into the standard I I, as at 2K1.

The laterally inner edge 2l of the plow share I'l is diagonal in a direction to converge inwardly and rearwardly relative to the direction of travel.

The leading pair of plow units S is normally disposed to run at a depth somewhat lesser than the path of trailing plow units l'. The purpose of this setting is so that the leading plow units 6, which pass closely on opposite sides of the beets 22 (see Fig. 2) accomplish an initial loosening of the soil closely about the body of the beets. The trailing plow units 'I accomplish a further and deeper loosening of the soil, as shown in Fig. 3, to a depth which extends about the tap roots of the beets 22; such loosening being accomplished at substantially the time that the beets are impaled upon the spikes 5 of the pickup wheel 3. With continued rotation of such wheel in the direction indicated, the trailing plow units 1 serve a further purpose of urging the impaled beets upwardly, facilitating their removal from the ground by the said spiked beet pick-up wheel.

Depending upon soil or other working conditions it may be desirable to alter the suction angle of the plow shares I1, and this is made possible by reason of a row of longitudinally spaced holes 23 in the inclined part I i of each leg, so that the uppermost bolt I2 may be inserted, selectively, in any one of said holes 23. In this manner each standard Il may be adjusted to vary the suction angle of the plow share Il.

Under certain working conditions it has been found desirable, as shown in the drawings, for the plow shares Il of the leading plow units to run substantially horizontal, with the plow share I'I of the trailing plow units l inclined forwardly and rearwardly to assure of adequate lift on the beets at the moment of their withdrawal from the ground by the spiked pick-up wheel 3.

By providing the leading and trailing plow units in pairs in transversely spaced relation for the passage of the beets therebetween, and arranging such plow units for selective adjustment of their suction angle, running depth, and lateral position, the plow assembly is adaptable for use in many different types of soil and crop conditions.

As the standards il of each pair of the plow units extend in upwardly diverging relation, and as the forward edges of such standards II are sharpened to provide cutting edges, entanglement of the plow units with the beet tops, weeds, etc., is minimized; such cutting edges tending to cut through and prevent trailing of enmeshed weeds, etc. from the plow units.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fullls the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention the following is vclaimed as new and useful and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

l. In a beet harvester a spiked, beet pick-up wheel adapted to ride on a beet row with advance of the harvester', and a plow assembly comprising a leading pair of transversely spaced sub-soil plow units supported ahead of the point of contact of the wheel with the ground, and a trailing pair of transversely spaced sub-soil plow units supported rearwardly of said point; the plow units of each pair being disposed to pass adjacent and on opposite sides of the beets in the row.

2. In a beet harvester a spiked, beet pick-up wheel adapted to ride on a beet row with advance of the harvester, and a plow assembly comprising a leading pair of transversely spaced sub-soil plow units supported ahead of the point of contact of the wheel with the ground, and a trailing pair of transversely spaced sub-soil plow units supported rearwardly of said point; the plow units of each pair being disposed to pass adjacent and on opposite sides of the beets in the row; and the leading plow units running at a lesser depth than the trailing plow units.

3. In a beet harvester a spiked, beet pick-up wheel adapted to ride on a beet row with advance of the harvester, and a plow assembly comprising a leading pair of transversely spaced sub-soil plow units supported ahead of the point of contact of the wheel with the ground, and a trailing pair of transversely spaced sub-soil plow units supported rearwardly of said point; the plow units of each pair including Shanks having a front cutting edge extending some distance above ground.

4. In a beet harvester a spiked, beet pick-up wheel adapted to ride on a beet row with advance of the harvester, and a plow assembly comprising a leading pair of transversely spaced sub-soil plow units supported ahead of the point of contact of the wheel with the ground, and a trailing wheel adapted to ride on a beet row with advance of the harvester, and a plow assembly comprising a pair of transversely spaced legs mounted on the harvester and depending on opposite sides of the longitudinal vertical plane of the pick-up Wheel, a pair of standards having plow shares on their lower ends, said legs being fiat lengthwise of the harvester and the shanks at their upper end overlapping the legs at their lower end, and means mounting the overlapping portions of corresponding standards and legs together for adjustment of the standards laterally of the direction of travel; said means comprising a pair of vertically spaced axially adjustable bolts connecting the leg and standard, and a transverse element on and projecting from the inner face of the standard between the bolts and engaging the leg to form a fulcrum about which the standard may rock upon adjustment orthe bolts in opposite directions.

6. In a beet harvester a spiked, beet pick-up wheel adapted to ride on a beet row with advance of the harvester, and a plow assembly comprising a pair of transversely spaced legs mounted on the harvester and depending on opposite sides of the longitudinal vertical plane of the pick-up wheel, a pair of standards having plow shares on their lower ends, said legs being flat lengthwise of the harvester and the shanks at their upper end overlapping the legs at their lower end, and means mounting the overlapping portions of corresponding standards and legs together for adjustment of the standards to alter the suction angle of the corresponding plows; said means comprising a pivot member connecting the standard and leg, said leg having a plurality of bolt holes disposed in a row concentric with the pivot member, and a bolt in the standard removably projecting through any selected one of said holes.

7. In combination with a mobile frame and a spiked pick-up wheel mounted for rotation in said frame and operative to ride the ground; a plow assembly, such assembly comprising a leadng pair or transversely spaced sub-S011 plow units supported on and depending from the frame vat a point forwardly of the point of contact of the wheel with the ground, a trailing pair of transversely spaced sub-soil plow units sup= ported on and depending from the frame at a point immediately to the rear of the point of contact of the wheel with the ground, both such assemblies being set at such a depth relative to the wheel that the plcws of each will move through the ground at a point relatively close to and on opposite sides of the beets in the ground and above the tap roots of such beets, the leading plows being set at a higher level relative to the frame than the trailing plows.

HENRY v. LA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ci this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Y Name Date 714,518 Pruvot Nov. 25, 1902 829,286 Palmer Aug. 2l, 1906 893,311 Davis July 14, 1908 1,077,978 Haster Nov. 11, 1913 1,288,300 Van Beek Dec. 17, 1918 1,514,782 Nobles et al. Nov. l1, 1924 1,517,942 Bishop Dec. 2, 1924 2,336,623 Loucks et al Dec. 14, 1943 2,350,173 Loucks et al. May 30, 1944 2,377,347 Lea et al June 5, 1945 2,399,818 Michael May 7, 1946 2,405,205 Gordon et a1. Aug. 6, 1946 2,430,434 Rutter Nov. 4, 1947 

